JP2008262106A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience by determining which cartridge is abnormal with an inexpensive and simple method, and informing a user thereof in a configuration in which a plurality of developer replenishment means are selectively operated by a single drive source. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is provided with a control section for performing an abnormal determination, which comprises: a first control means (S601) for controlling a corresponding replenishment drive transmission on/off mechanism so that the driving force of a motor is transmitted to one of a plurality of toner replenishment means; a second control means (S602) for determining that a toner cartridge or process cartridge (toner storage section) corresponding to the toner replenishment means is in an abnormal state if a sensor detects an abnormal operation of the motor; and a third control means (S604) for informing that the toner cartridge or process cartridge (toner storage section) corresponding to the toner replenishment means is in an abnormal state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium.

  At present, in a color inline image forming apparatus, there is a case in which a motor as a drive source of a toner replenishing unit of a cartridge is shared by a plurality of stations in order to reduce the size of the apparatus and prevent an increase in cost. In such a case, a plurality of developer (toner) replenishing means are selectively operated from a single motor through a configuration in which whether or not drive transmission can be selected between the motor as a drive source and each mechanism. Configuration is taken.

  As a conventional example, Patent Document 1 proposes the following toner replenishment drive configuration. This is a single drive source, has at least the number of clutches for individually turning on / off the transmission of driving force to a plurality of stations, and individually controls ON / OFF of each clutch. Control to drive the station at different timings.

  On the other hand, as a developing device that has been conventionally used in an image forming apparatus and develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier with toner, for example, a buffer unit is provided around a developing roller, and a new toner is provided. In some cases, a hopper for storing the above is provided above the developing device.

In such an apparatus, various means are added to the supply roller and the stirring member provided in the buffer unit so that the toner is supplied to the developer carrying member as uniformly as possible. In addition, the amount of toner in the buffer unit is adjusted so that appropriate development is performed.
JP 2006-259308 A

  However, if the image forming apparatus is further reduced in size and speeded up in the future, it becomes necessary to supply more toner to the buffer unit having a smaller volume in a shorter time.

  At that time, if the amount of toner stored in the buffer unit becomes larger than the reference, there is a possibility that the toner sent into the hopper is relatively larger than the toner falling in the buffer unit. is there. In such a case, there is a concern that the possibility of a strong aggregation state called a packing phenomenon gradually increases in the vicinity of the supply port.

  The toner in the aggregated state may increase the rotational torque of the toner replenishing means. If the rotational torque increases due to a packing phenomenon or the like, there is a possibility that the motor that is the drive source operates abnormally or stops.

  In the configuration proposed in Patent Document 1, when an abnormal operation of the motor occurs due to an increase in torque such as packing, it is impossible to determine at which station the motor has occurred. Therefore, in order to restore the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to replace all cartridges including normal cartridges.

  In the case of adopting a configuration in which the toner replenishing means of one station is driven by one motor, it is possible to detect which station is abnormal, but it is possible to detect the same number of motors as the number of stations, and motor abnormalities. A detection means for detecting this is required. In such a case, a significant increase in cost is inevitable.

  As described above, in the toner replenishment drive of the color inline type image forming apparatus, there is a concern about the following problems in the configuration in which a plurality of toner replenishing units are selectively operated from a single motor. That is, even if a trouble occurs in which the load on the cartridge increases at any station, it is impossible to determine which station's cartridge is abnormal.

  As a result, in order to restore, it is necessary to replace all cartridges including normal cartridges.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a configuration in which a plurality of developer replenishing means are selectively operated from a single drive source, which cartridge is abnormal can be determined at a low cost with a simple method. The purpose is to improve convenience by determining and notifying the user.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
A plurality of developer accommodating portions respectively provided in a plurality of developing means and accommodating a developer;
A plurality of developer cartridges provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of developer accommodating portions, each having a developer for replenishing the plurality of developer accommodating portions;
A plurality of developer replenishing means for replenishing the developer in the plurality of developer cartridges to the corresponding developer storage portions;
A single drive source for driving the plurality of developer supply means;
A plurality of driving force transmission switching means provided corresponding to each of the plurality of developer replenishing means, each capable of switching transmission or blocking of driving force from the driving source to the plurality of developer replenishing means;
Detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the drive source;
An informing means for informing an abnormal state when a component of the image forming apparatus is in an abnormal state;
In addition,
First control means for switching and controlling the driving force transmission switching means corresponding to the developer supply means so that the driving force of the drive source is transmitted to one developer supply means among the plurality of developer supply means. When,
In a state where the first control unit is executed, when an abnormal operation of the drive source is detected by the detection unit, a developer cartridge or a developer storage unit corresponding to the developer supply unit is in an abnormal state. A second control means for determining;
If it is determined by the second control means that the developer cartridge or the developer storage portion corresponding to the developer supply means is in an abnormal state, the developer cartridge or the developer storage portion is in an abnormal state. Third control means for informing by the informing means;
An abnormality determination executing means for executing an abnormality determination including the above is provided.

  According to the present invention, in a configuration in which a plurality of developer replenishing means are selectively operated from a single driving source, it is possible to determine which cartridge is abnormal by a simple method at a low cost and notify the user. Thus, convenience can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. Absent. Further, the materials, shapes, and the like of the members once described in the following description are the same as those in the initial description unless otherwise described.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a color laser printer will be described as an example of an image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment first develops an electrostatic latent image based on an image signal at an image forming station to form a visible image (developer (toner) image), and transfers the visible image to an intermediate transfer. It is superimposed and transferred onto the body to make a color image. Further, the color image is secondarily transferred to a recording material as a recording medium, and then the color visible image is fixed.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the following constituent members (components). The process cartridges 22Y, 22M having photosensitive drums 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K as image carriers for image forming stations arranged in parallel for development colors and primary chargers 7Y, 7M, 7C, 7K as charging means, 22C and 22K. Further, developing devices 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K as developing means, and scanners 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K as exposure means. The toner cartridges 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are developer cartridges that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. Also, primary transfer units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, an intermediate transfer member 13, a paper feed unit 12, a secondary transfer unit 18, a fixing unit 15, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the process cartridge 22 and the toner cartridge 11. The image forming stations (image forming unit and image forming unit) of Y, M, C, and K have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, only one image forming station is described, and Y, M , C, K may be omitted. An image forming station is simply referred to as a station.

  The toner cartridge 11 includes a toner replenishing unit 24 as a developer replenishing unit for replenishing toner, and a toner agitating member 14 for agitating the toner in the toner cartridge (inside the developer cartridge). A toner supply shutter 401 is provided between the toner cartridge 11 and the process cartridge 22.

  The process cartridge 22 includes a developing unit 8, a toner storage unit 26 as a developer storage unit provided in the developing unit 8, a buffer unit stirring member 502, a supply roller 501, the photosensitive drum 5, and the charger 7. ing. Here, the buffer unit agitating member 502 agitates the toner replenished from the toner cartridge 11. The supply roller 501 supplies toner to the developing roller 23. When the toner replenishing means 24 is driven by the image forming apparatus, toner can be replenished from the toner cartridge 11 to the toner storage portion 26 of the process cartridge 22.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a toner replenishment drive transmission system of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  Drive is transmitted from a motor gear 4 attached to a motor (not shown) as a single drive source to the spring clutch 2M of the M station and the spring clutches 2Y and 2C of the Y station and the C station. Solenoids 1Y, 1M, and 1C and replenishment drive gears 9Y, 9M, and 9C are attached to the spring clutch 2 at each station and downstream thereof, respectively. The replenishing drive gear 9 transmits the driving force from the motor to the toner replenishing means 24. In addition, a sensor 3 is provided as a detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the motor in the middle of the drive transmission path to each station.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the sensor 3.

  The sensor 3 includes a photo interrupter 30, a detection flag 31, and an idler gear 32. A cam shape 32 a is provided on the upper surface of the idler gear 32, and the elongated hole 31 a of the detection flag 31 is fitted therein. When the idler gear 32 is rotated by the drive transmission from the motor, the detection flag 31 performs a linear reciprocating motion in synchronization with the rotation of the idler gear 32, and the light from the photo interrupter 30 is repeatedly transmitted and shielded at predetermined intervals. The abnormal operation of the motor (not shown) is determined only when the transmission state or the light shielding state continues for a predetermined time in order to avoid erroneous detection due to chattering. Therefore, a predetermined time is required from when the abnormal operation of the motor starts until it is detected by the sensor 3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism as the driving force transmission switching means.

  The replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism includes a spring clutch 2 that switches transmission or disconnection of driving force from the motor to the toner replenishing means 24 and a solenoid that controls switching of transmission or interruption of the driving force by the spring clutch 2. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, drive is input from a motor (not shown) to the input gear 2 a of the spring clutch 2 via the drive input gear 25. In the spring clutch 2, while the flapper 1a of the solenoid 1 is locked to the claw portion 2c of the spring clutch 2, the drive is not transmitted to the output gear 2b of the spring clutch 2, and only the input gear 2a is idled.

  When the flapper 1a of the solenoid 1 operates in the direction of the arrow p, the drive is transmitted to the output gear 2b of the spring clutch 2, rotates in the direction of the arrow q, and the drive is transmitted to the replenishment drive gear 9 downstream thereof. The supply drive gear 9 is fixed to the supply drive shaft 9a, and a supply coupling 9b is attached to the supply drive shaft 9a. The supply coupling 9b is a drive interface of the image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of overall control of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus includes a control unit 300 including a CPU 300a, a RAM 300b, and the like, and this controls overall control of each device of the image forming apparatus. Here, the control unit 300 constitutes first control means, second control means, third control means, and abnormality determination execution means.

  The control unit 300 displays process cartridges 22Y, 22M, and 22C, solenoids 1Y, 1M, and 1C that turn on and off replenishment drive transmission, a motor 800 as a drive source, a sensor 3 that detects rotation of the drive source, and an abnormality. A display unit 700 that informs the user is connected. The gear train from the motor 800 is connected to the spring clutches 2Y, 2M, and 2C. Here, the display unit 700 constitutes notification means for notifying the abnormal state when the constituent members of the image forming apparatus are in the abnormal state.

  When receiving a toner supply request from the process cartridge 22 of any station, the control unit 300 transmits a signal for operating the solenoid 1 of the station that has received the toner supply request. As a result, the drive from the motor 800 is transmitted to the toner replenishing means 24 of the toner cartridge 11 via the spring clutch 2, and the toner replenishing operation is started, so that the process cartridge 22 is replenished with toner.

  When an abnormality occurs in any of the cartridges, an abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected. In such a case, an abnormality determination for determining which cartridge has an abnormality will be described using Examples 1 to 3 described below.

  Example 1 will be described below.

  First, the count (measurement) linked to the toner replenishment operation (switching control of the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism executed by the control unit 300), which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described. By using such a count, it can be determined whether or not the toner replenishing means 24 is operating. Here, the control part 300 comprises the measurement means.

  FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating a timing for performing a signal for attracting the solenoid 1, actuation of the spring clutch 2, and counting in the control unit 300 when the control unit 300 in FIG. 6 receives a toner supply request from the process cartridge 22. 7 shows.

  In the control unit 300, the signal of the solenoid 1 of the station where the toner replenishment request is made is issued, and at the same time, the count is started. When the counted time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time, it can be determined that the toner replenishing unit 24 is operating.

  Here, the predetermined time, that is, the counting time Tcount, requires at least the total time (T1 + T2 + T3) of the following times T1, T2, and T3. The time T1 is the time required from when the solenoid 1 operation signal (switching control start instruction) is output until the solenoid 1 is activated and the spring clutch starts to move (time required for the toner replenishing means 24 to start operation). It is. The time T2 is a time required for the rotation by a predetermined spring clutch rotational speed corresponding to the required replenishment amount (a time required for the toner replenishing unit 24 to perform the toner replenishment operation). The time T3 is the time required until the abnormal operation of the motor is determined in the photo interrupter 30 of FIG. 4 (the time required for the sensor 3 to detect the abnormal operation of the motor 800 after the abnormal operation of the motor 800 occurs) ).

  Here, for the time T2, the spring clutch rotational speed may be calculated (derived) in accordance with the required replenishment amount. In this case, the relationship between the replenishment amount and the spring clutch rotational speed may be obtained in advance and stored in the RAM 300b. When the time T1 and the time T3 are substantially determined by the specifications of the apparatus, the total time (T1 + T2 + T3) may be calculated according to the necessary replenishment amount. In this case, the relationship between the replenishment amount and the total time (T1 + T2 + T3) may be obtained in advance and stored in the RAM 300b.

  In this embodiment, the above-described count is used to determine whether the toner replenishing means 24 is operating. However, the present invention is not limited to such a count. For example, it is executed in conjunction with the toner replenishment operation of the control unit 300 (switching control of the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism executed by the control unit 300), and the toner replenishing means 24 operates for a predetermined time from the switching control. You may provide the memory | storage means to memorize | store the information that it is in. Then, based on the information stored in the storage unit, it may be determined whether the toner supply unit 24 is operating. Here, the predetermined time is preferably at least the total time (T1 + T2 + T3) described above.

  FIG. 8 shows a procedure in which when the torque of the toner cartridge 11 of a certain station abnormally increases and the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected by the sensor 3, it is determined in which station the abnormality has occurred and the user is notified. It is a flowchart.

After the driving of the motor 800 is started, it is checked whether there is a toner supply request (S600). When there is a toner replenishment request, the operation signal of the solenoid 1 of the corresponding station is output and at the same time, the count is performed for Tcount time (S601). If it is determined in S600 that there is no toner supply request, the process proceeds to S602. Here, in S601, the corresponding replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism is controlled by the first control unit so that the driving force of the motor 800 is transmitted to one of the plurality of toner replenishing units 24. . In conjunction with this control, time is measured by the measuring means.

  Next, when the abnormal operation of the motor is detected during counting (S602 to S603), the abnormality of the cartridge being counted is notified (S604), and the motor is turned off (S606). Here, in S602, when the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected by the sensor 3 by the second control unit, the toner cartridge 11 or the process cartridge 22 (toner storage unit 26) corresponding to the corresponding toner supply unit 24 is abnormal. Determined to be in a state. In S603, based on the time measured by the measuring means, it is determined whether the second control means is counting, that is, whether the toner replenishing means 24 is operating. In step S604, the third control unit notifies that the toner cartridge 11 or the process cartridge 22 (toner storage unit 26) corresponding to the toner supply unit 24 determined to be operating in step S603 is in an abnormal state.

  When an abnormal operation of the motor is detected other than during counting (S602 to S603), the abnormality of the image forming apparatus is notified (S605), and the motor is turned off (S606). If it is determined in step S603 that the toner replenishing unit 24 is not operating, in step S605, the third control unit determines that the constituent members of the image forming apparatus other than the toner cartridge 11 or the process cartridge 22 (toner storage unit 26). It is notified that there is an abnormal condition.

  If it is determined in S602 that no abnormality has been detected in the motor, the process proceeds to S607, and if the operation is to be continued, a toner supply request is waited (S600). If it is determined in S607 that the operation has been completed, the routine is temporarily exited.

  FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing an example of solenoid ON / OFF signal, spring clutch rotation operation, and count timing for each of Y, M, and C stations.

  The feature of this embodiment is that, even when there is a toner replenishment request, as shown in FIG. 9, a solenoid operation signal is output to replenish the toner so that a predetermined count time does not overlap at each station. is there.

  As described above, in this embodiment, transmission of the driving force from the motor 800 is sequentially performed for each toner supply unit 24 with respect to the plurality of toner supply units 24. Then, the switching control of the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism that is sequentially performed is performed at least at the interval of the total time (T1 + T2 + T3) described above.

  For example, when a motor abnormality is detected in the time regions A and C, it is the Y station that counts and notifies the abnormality of the Y toner cartridge 11 and the process cartridge 22. When the detection is performed in the time region B, since the counting is the M station, the abnormality of the M toner cartridge 11 and the process cartridge 22 is notified. When it is detected in the time region C, it is the C station that is counting, and the abnormality of the C toner cartridge 11 and the process cartridge 22 is notified.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in the toner replenishment drive transmission system that selectively drives the plurality of toner replenishing means 24 with a single motor.

That is, when an abnormality occurs in the cartridge of any station, the load increases, and an abnormal operation of the motor is detected, the station where the abnormality has occurred is immediately notified to the user by a low-cost and simple method. It becomes possible. Therefore, the user can return the image forming apparatus by replacing only the cartridge in which the abnormality is notified. Therefore, it is possible to improve usability (convenience).

  Example 2 will be described below.

  The feature of the present embodiment is that the counts by the control unit 300 described in the first embodiment may overlap at each station.

  When an image formed by the image forming apparatus has a high printing rate and a high process speed, it is necessary to supply more toner from the toner cartridge 11 to the process cartridge 22 by the toner replenishing unit 24. In this case, since the replenishment frequency is increased, the counting time may be overlapped at each station. In the case of a low printing rate, since it is not necessary to replenish frequently, the count of each station does not overlap as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of the solenoid signal, the spring clutch rotation operation, and the count timing.

  When an abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected in the time region E, the Y and M station counts are in progress, so the abnormality of the Y and M toner cartridges 11 and the process cartridge 22 is notified. If it is detected in the time region F, the Y, M, and C stations are being counted, so the abnormality of the Y, M, and C toner cartridges 11 and the process cartridge 22 is notified.

  In this embodiment, when an image formed by the image forming apparatus has a high printing rate and a high process speed, even if an abnormality occurs in any cartridge and the motor 800 detects the abnormality, all the cartridges are replaced. It has the effect of reducing the frequency of having to.

  Example 3 will be described below.

  There is a possibility that an abnormality such as packing may occur while toner is being supplied from the toner cartridge 11 to the process cartridge 22.

  That is, in the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism using the solenoid 1 and the spring clutch 2 shown in FIG. 5, the solenoid 1 operates in the direction of the arrow p, the drive is transmitted to the output gear 2b of the spring clutch, and the toner is replenished. Occurs while the means 24 is being driven. When the torque of the toner replenishing means 24 at that time increases, the motor 800 operates abnormally when the allowable torque is exceeded. In this case, it can be said that the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism is also in an abnormal operation state. Since the motor 800 and the toner replenishing means 24 in a high load state remain connected, there is a high possibility that abnormal operation will occur again even when the motor 800 is restarted.

  Therefore, when the control unit 300 causes the motor 800 to perform an abnormal operation during the toner replenishment operation, the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism is turned off and the motor 800, the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism, and the toner replenishing means 24 operate normally. A return sequence (return means) for making a state is executed.

  Hereinafter, a return sequence that is a feature of the present embodiment will be described.

  When the motor 800 malfunctions during the toner replenishing operation, the motor 800 is operated for a predetermined time while the output torque of the motor 800 is increased from the steady state (steady state). 24). For this purpose, for example, the motor 800 may be rotated at a lower rotational speed than in a steady state.

  FIG. 11A is a graph showing a temporal change in torque of the toner replenishing means 24 when a problem such as packing occurs, and FIG. 11B is a relationship between the output torque of the motor 800 and the rotational speed. The graph showing is shown.

From FIG. 11B, in the return mode in which the number of rotations of the motor 800 is reduced, the output torque of the motor 800 can be increased by ΔT ₁ from the steady state. Due to the characteristics of the spring clutch 2, the claw portion 2 c is locked to the flapper 1 a of the solenoid 1 and is disconnected from the load (toner supply means 24) when it is rotated at least once.

Therefore, the condition that the output torque increase amount ΔT ₁ due to the rotation of the motor 800 being lower than the load torque ΔT ₂ that increases due to toner conveyance for one rotation of the spring clutch 2 is larger (ΔT ₁ > ΔT ₂ ). Then it can be rotated without any problem. In this case, the predetermined time is a time required for toner conveyance for one rotation of the spring clutch 2.

  Further, even in the case of a replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism using a one-turn control clutch such as an electromagnetic clutch instead of the solenoid 1 and the spring clutch 2, the load (toner replenishing means 24) is cut off by the same method. be able to.

  Further, as means for increasing the output torque of the motor 800, the input power to the motor 800 may be increased instead of decreasing the rotational speed.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the return sequence.

  First, the operation of the solenoids of all stations is turned off (S610), and the plurality of replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanisms are respectively shut off. Then, the rotational speed of the motor 800 is started at a lower speed than in the normal state, and the drive from the motor 800 is continued until the load (toner supply means 24) is cut off from the load (toner supply means 24) (S611).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of an abnormality determination sequence for individually checking the presence or absence of a torque abnormality in a cartridge.

  The X station solenoid that needs to be checked for abnormality is turned on (S620), and when abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected, the motor 800 is stopped (S621), and the occurrence of the abnormality is stored in the RAM 300b (S622). ).

  Here, in S620, the corresponding replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism is controlled by the first control means so that the driving force of the motor 800 is transmitted to one of the toner replenishing means 24. . When the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected by the sensor 3 by the second control unit, the toner cartridge 11 or the process cartridge 22 (toner storage unit 26) corresponding to the corresponding toner supply unit 24 is in an abnormal state. Determination is made, and the process proceeds to S621.

  Thereafter, a return sequence is executed (S623), the rotation speed of the motor 800 is returned to a steady state (S624), and the process ends. If there is no abnormal operation of the motor 800 in S620, the X station solenoid is turned off (S625), and the process ends without doing anything.

  Hereinafter, characteristic control of the present embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in any of the cartridges and the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected, the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is performed before the abnormality determination for determining which cartridge is abnormal. When it is detected, the return sequence is executed. Then, the return sequence is executed to set the replenishment drive transmission on / off mechanism to the normal operating state, and then abnormality determination is executed.

  FIG. 14 shows a sequence for determining which cartridge has an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in any of the cartridges and the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected using the above-described return sequence and abnormality determination sequence. It is a flowchart which shows the whole flow.

  When the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected during the driving of the motor 800 (S630) (S631), the operation of the motor 800 is stopped (S632), the return sequence is executed (S633), and the rotation speed of the motor 800 is changed. It returns to normal and rotates (S634). Thereafter, when the abnormal operation of the motor 800 is confirmed again (S635), the abnormality of the image forming apparatus is notified (S642), and the process ends.

  If no abnormal operation of the motor 800 is detected in S635, an abnormality determination sequence is executed in the order of Y, M, and C (S636 to S638). If there is an abnormal cartridge (S639), all the corresponding cartridges are detected. Information is sent (S640), and the process ends. In step S640, the third control unit notifies that the toner cartridge 11 or the process cartridge 22 (toner storage unit 26) corresponding to the corresponding toner supply unit 24 is in an abnormal state.

  Here, the order in which the abnormality determination sequence in S636 to S638 is executed is not limited. In S636 to S638, the abnormality determination sequence is sequentially executed. That is, the switching control for setting the driving force of the motor 800 to be transmitted to one of the plurality of toner replenishing units 24 and then to the cutoff state is performed for the plurality of replenishing drive transmission on / off mechanisms. It is done sequentially so as not to overlap.

  If an abnormal operation of the motor 800 is not detected in S631, it is determined whether to end the operation (S641). If the operation is continued, the process returns to S630. If it is determined in S639 that there is no abnormal cartridge, the process returns to S630.

  As described above, in the conventional toner replenishment drive transmission system that selectively drives a plurality of toner replenishing means with a single motor, when a motor abnormality is detected, the abnormal operation of the motor does not occur again. However, there are concerns about starting up the image forming apparatus. That is, in such a case, it is necessary to replace all the cartridges, and there is a possibility that normal cartridges are included therein.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is automatically returned by the return sequence, and then the abnormality determination sequence is executed for each station. As a result, it is possible to determine in which station the cartridge has an abnormality, and it is possible to notify the user instantly by a simple method at a low cost. As a result, it is only necessary to replace the cartridge in which an abnormality has occurred, so that usability can be improved.

As mentioned above, although demonstrated using Examples 1-3, the abnormality judgment by the control part 300 of this Embodiment will be performed by the 1st control means, the 2nd control means, and the 3rd control means which were mentioned above. That's fine.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cartridge included in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner supply drive transmission system included in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a motor rotation detection unit provided in the toner supply drive transmission system of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of supply drive transmission on / off means included in the toner supply drive transmission system of FIG. 3. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 6 is a timing chart illustrating an example of counting in conjunction with a toner replenishing operation in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow from the identification of an abnormal cartridge to notification in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 5 is a timing chart illustrating an example of counting in conjunction with the replenishment operation of each station in the first embodiment of the present invention. In Example 2 of this invention, the timing chart which shows an example of the count linked with the replenishment operation | movement of each station. (A) The graph which shows the time change of the torque of a toner replenishing means in Example 3 of this invention. (B) In Example 3 of this invention, the graph which shows the relationship between the output torque of a motor, and rotation speed. In Example 3 of this invention, the flowchart which shows the flow of a return sequence. In Example 3 of this invention, the flowchart which shows the flow of an abnormality determination sequence. 9 is a flowchart showing an overall flow from occurrence of abnormality to cartridge determination in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Solenoid 2 Spring clutch 3 Sensor 8 Developer 11 Toner cartridge 22 Process cartridge 24 Toner replenishing means 26 Toner storage part 300 Control part 700 Display part 800 Motor

Claims (11)

In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
A plurality of developer accommodating portions respectively provided in a plurality of developing means and accommodating a developer;
A plurality of developer cartridges provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of developer accommodating portions, each having a developer for replenishing the plurality of developer accommodating portions;
A plurality of developer replenishing means for replenishing the developer in the plurality of developer cartridges to the corresponding developer storage portions;
A single drive source for driving the plurality of developer supply means;
A plurality of driving force transmission switching means provided corresponding to each of the plurality of developer replenishing means, each capable of switching transmission or blocking of driving force from the driving source to the plurality of developer replenishing means;
Detecting means for detecting an abnormal operation of the drive source;
An informing means for informing an abnormal state when a component of the image forming apparatus is in an abnormal state;
In addition,
First control means for switching and controlling the driving force transmission switching means corresponding to the developer supply means so that the driving force of the drive source is transmitted to one developer supply means among the plurality of developer supply means. When,
In a state where the first control unit is executed, when an abnormal operation of the drive source is detected by the detection unit, a developer cartridge or a developer storage unit corresponding to the developer supply unit is in an abnormal state. A second control means for determining;
If it is determined by the second control means that the developer cartridge or the developer storage portion corresponding to the developer supply means is in an abnormal state, the developer cartridge or the developer storage portion is in an abnormal state. Third control means for informing by the informing means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an abnormality determination execution unit that executes an abnormality determination including: The second control means includes
When an abnormal operation of the drive source is detected by the detection unit in a state where the first control unit is executed,
Further, it is determined whether the developer replenishing means is operating,
When it is determined that the developer replenishing means is operating,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer cartridge or the developer storage unit corresponding to the developer supply unit is determined to be in an abnormal state. Measuring means for measuring a predetermined time in conjunction with switching control of the driving force transmission switching means by the first control means;
3. The image formation according to claim 2, wherein the second control unit determines that the developer supply unit is operating when the predetermined time is measured by the measurement unit. apparatus. A storage unit that is executed in conjunction with the switching control of the driving force transmission switching unit by the first control unit and stores information that the developer supply unit is operating for a predetermined time from the switching control. With
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein it is determined whether or not the developer supply unit is operating based on information stored in the storage unit. The predetermined time is at least
A time required for the developer replenishing means to start operating after the first control means issues a switching control start instruction for the driving force transmission switching means;
A time required for the developer replenishing means to supply the developer;
The time required for the detection means to detect the abnormal operation of the drive source after the abnormal operation of the drive source occurs,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the total time is   The first control unit sequentially transmits driving force to the plurality of developer replenishing units for each developer replenishing unit, and performs switching control of the driving force transmission switching unit to be performed sequentially. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus performs at least the interval of the total time.   When the second control means determines that the developer replenishing means is not in operation, the third control means determines that there is an abnormality in the constituent members of the image forming apparatus except for the developer cartridge or the developer storage portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is notified by the notifying unit.   The abnormality determination execution means further includes a return means for bringing the driving force transmission switching means into a normal operation state when the driving force transmission switching means is in an abnormal operation state, and before the abnormality determination is executed, the detection means 2. When the abnormal operation of the drive source is detected by the above, the abnormality determination is executed after the return means is executed to bring the driving force transmission switching means into a normal operation state. Image forming apparatus.   The return means operates the drive source for a predetermined time in a state in which the output torque of the drive source is increased from a steady state after instructing each of the plurality of drive force transmission switching means to be cut off. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein transmission of driving force from the driving source to the developer replenishing unit is interrupted, and the driving force transmission switching unit is set in a normal operation state.   When the abnormality determination is performed by the abnormality determination execution unit, the first control unit is in a state where the driving force of the drive source is transmitted to one developer supply unit among the plurality of developer supply units. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein after that, the switching control for setting the cut-off state is sequentially performed so as not to overlap the plurality of driving force transmission switching units. The driving force transmission switching unit includes a spring clutch that transmits or blocks driving force from the driving source to the developer supply unit, and a solenoid that controls transmission or blocking of driving force by the spring clutch. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

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